The desirability of collecting energy from the sun is well known. However, most homes, businesses and other buildings still do not take advantage of the free heating energy available from the sun. This is due primarily to the high cost associated with present solar systems, which is driven by their complexity in construction and installation, as well as their use of expensive materials and manufacturing techniques.
What is needed is an effective but inexpensive solar collector that may be easily and inexpensively integrated into a heating system. What is especially needed is a solar collector, system, and method of use that is sufficiently inexpensive and easy to install, use, and remove that homeowners, business owners, and even renters could feasibly adopt the technology on a wide scale without government subsidies. Such a technical breakthrough could reduce the burning of fossil fuels that release carbon dioxide and other pollutants into the atmosphere, reduce demand for foreign oil and thereby lower fuel prices, reduce mining and drilling in sensitive habitats, and slow the need for new powerplants of all types, along with their attendant power lines, infrastructure, and financial and environmental costs.